It’s been a big year for Lewis Page.
A Canadian gold medal at the Pan Am Games, a shared Atlantic University Sport coach-of-the-year award with assistant Bruce Norton and a berth in the AUS championship game marked a near hat trick for the 44-year-old head coach of the UPEI Panthers men’s soccer club.
On top of all his successes, Page has announced he has accepted a job with the provincial government as amateur sport co-ordinator, beginning Nov. 28.
He also stated that he has stepped down from his duties with the national program.
“I was lucky enough to go out with a gold medal,” he told The Guardian. “But 11 years of travelling took its toll, and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice as much as I had in the past.”
Page, a longtime technical director of the P.E.I. Soccer Association, will remain with the Panthers.
“In fact, I told the guys they’re stuck with me for a while,” he quipped.
The Panthers’ season ended on a sour note recently, when they dropped the AUS final 6-0 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies.
Two early goals against hurt, said Page.
“It forced our team to chase the game and take more risks,” he said. “The last few goals were a result of us chasing the game.”
The Huskies put six balls behind rookie keeper Trevor White, who had only allowed one goal in UPEI's final three regular season games.
“It certainly was not Trevor’s fault,” said Norton. “Whatever we tried to do backfired.”
The Panthers finished second overall in regular-season play, compiling a record of 7-2-4.
The Panthers allowed a conference-low 12 goals and posted a league-leading seven shutouts.
Last season, a similar roster finished out of the playoffs at 4-8-1.
“The players came in much fitter and with a better attitude,” Page said of the turnaround. “They were much more resilient than last year. Overall, we had a great season. Now we need to work to take that next step and believe we are champions.”
Just prior to the AUS playoffs, Page and Norton were named co-winners for coach of the year in the conference.
It’s special sharing it with Bruce. I respect him as a coach, and it shows that this program is bigger than any one person. - Lewis Page, head coach of the UPEI men’s soccer team, on sharing the Atlantic University Sport coaching award with his longtime assistant, Bruce Norton
This is the fourth-time Page has received the award.
The coaching duo split duties behind the bench this season, with Page serving as an assistant coach with the gold medal-winning Canadian women’s national team at the Pan Am Games in Mexico.
Norton ended up coaching seven of the teams 13 games.
Page returned to the Panthers with a gold-medal win on his resume, after Canada beat Brazil 4-3 in the final on penalty kicks.
Page called it a “huge experience” that he will never forget, even though he and the rest of the coaching staff did not receive medals.
The coach has been involved with the national under-17 women’s program since 2000.
As for the coaching award, Page said it shows the special relationship he and Norton share in leading the university’s men’s soccer program.
“It’s special sharing it with Bruce,” he said. “I respect him as a coach, and it shows that this program is bigger than any one person.”
“It’s really special to be recognized,” said Norton, a Grade 8-9 teacher at Birchwood Intermediate School. “I’ve worked with Lewis going back 15, 16 years now. He’s just a pleasure to work with.”
He also credited the players for the award, saying it was the result of a great bounce-back year.
From 1995 to 2000, Norton was the Panthers’ head coach, winning the AUS coach-of-the-year award in 1996.
He stepped aside when his son Brett joined the team, only to return to the staff in 2003 at Page’s request.
Norton said Page allows each of the assistant coaches to play a key role, creating an effective team within a team.
“Lewis is the best soccer coach I’ve ever dealt with,” the 56-year-old said. “He was an excellent university player at Saint Mary’s and one of the best players to ever come out of the Maritimes.”
